(PSP) Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron review

First portable entry in the popular Battlefront sub-series that successfully brings the large-scale battles to a handheld format despite a few control difficulties along the way.

Developer	Rebellion Developments
Publisher	LucasArts
Franchise	Star Wars
Genre	Action; Third-person shooter
PSTV	Yes
PSN	NA only

 

World-building & Story

Telling the story of the titular team, Renegade Squadron is narrated by Col Serra, the commander of the covert unit who recounts their part in taking down the Galactic Empire.

Hands down the best Star Wars story I’ve played on PSP, Renegade Squadron slots nicely into the already-established Star Wars narrative by letting you take part in major events – such as the assualt on Hoth, the defence of Endor and the battle on Yavin – except as part of the Renegade Squadron, who worked in the background to get things done. It’s a smart narrative device that feels perfect for this franchise.

There are new events included here too, such as freeing Admiral Ackbar and encountering Boba Fett and IG-88, that feel like thrilling additions that flesh out the existing story (albeit they turn the otherwise-terrifying Darth Vader into a bit of a punching bag, which is a shame). Unfortunately characterisation is not a strong point and I couldn’t tell you who any of the members of Renegade Squadron are other than Col Serra, but I didn’t really care – I was enjoying reliving these past events.

Placing it within the Star Wars story means there doesn’t need to be any world-building either – you’ll instantly recognise the Mos Eisley Cantina, while new (or little seen) locations such as the Sith planet Korriban provide interesting new areas to explore.

 

Presentation & Sound

Unfortunately doing little to improve over Battlefront II, the graphics in Renegade Squadron achieve their purpose at presenting a great sense of scale, but this is very much a first-generation PSP title.

So I did very much like the cutscenes, which are static 2D art but gorgeously drawn, which is an effective way to tell the story by showing gorgeous vistas as Serra and Tionne talk. I also liked that character models are customisable and have various different shooting, rolling and reloading animations and some of the zones actually look really pretty – the Sith Academy has holograms scattered about which give a futuristic feel while Sulluth mixes foliage and water to great effect.

It is great that you can run nearly anywhere in these huge maps (space battles are also expansive) but therein lies the problems – draw distance is poor with fog on the horizon like an early PS1 title and the framerate can start to chug drastically when there’s a lot going on in places like Endor or Hoth. I forgive the game for still managing to get that sense of scale right and deliver large-scale battles, but it does come at a cost.

All the sound effects here are lifted straight out of Battlefront II and much of the soundtrack riffs on existing Star Wars motifs, but there is plenty of voice acting here to spice things up.

Soundtrack highlight – Main Menu Theme

 

Gameplay & Content

While it doesn’t bring anything new to the Battlefront formula, I simply love the way these games are designed – epic land and space battles that balance resource management with just plain old blasting fun. The template really hasn’t gotten old for me and I loved this one as much as II and Elite Squadron.

So there are two modes here (three with multiplayer, but this has long since been shut down). The first of these is campaign which as you’d expect, is a series of linear missions where you take control of a member of Renegade Squadron and carry out a series of objectives within a small map. These are somewhat varied – you’ll need to collect items, take out targets and defend characters (including heroes such as Chewbacca and Han Solo), meaning there’s always something new to be doing.

Controls are basically the same as Elite Squadron in that moving and aiming is unfortunately bound to one analogue stick (meaning you can’t remap for Vita), meaning you have to use the lock-on with L and then X to shoot. In addition, you’ll be able to switch weapons with the directional buttons, jump and sprint with L and roll with circle. It’s all functional, but the game does feel clunky even compared to other shooters on PSP.

One thing that has changed here is that rather than playing different character classes, you play one character and change your loadout at control points. Each weapon/item has a numerical value and you can have up to 100 points total, which is a neat system to shake things up, but did cause some difficulties as there were often objectives that required certain equipment (det packs) or weapons (rocket launchers) that had me traipsing back to a control point.

Still, the variety it offers is nice and I did like being able to carry things like a fusion cutter (to repair turrets and health dispensers) alongside a blaster rifle, or trying out new weapons like wrist rockets or orbital strikes (you can even use jetpacks with the above combination, which is great). You’ll need it too, as enemy AI is atrocious so you’ll likely need to carry the battles yourself as you cannot rely on teammates to get anything done.

Space battles return and are much the same – piloting a ship is simple (there’s a new autopilot feature that flies you towards your chosen target for easier shooting) and you can still take out the enemy fleet by destroying their external features or landing and blowing them up from the inside. The campaign won’t take you very long to complete (around 4 hours or so), but it’s enjoyable while it lasts especially thanks to the engaging story.

As always with the Battlefront series though, Galactic Conquest is where it’s at. This is the second mode where you have to take over a map planet by planet. You’ll have to manage resources to replenish your troops, buy upgrades and heroes to give you an advantage in battle and engage the enemy in skirmishes that you think you can win – it’s hugely addictive, deeply strategic and a lot of fun, just like it has been in every other Battlefront game.

The map is a little small here so it’s over sooner than I’d like, but otherwise I could just sit and play it all day (which I often do). Like everything with Renegade Squadron it isn’t perfect, but is still so enjoyable for what it is.

 

Conclusion

While it doesn’t do anything to innovate on the Battlefront formula, Renegade Squadron is still a fantastic game that’s well worth revisiting today. The story here is actually pretty engaging, the gameplay retains that addictive shooting feel and Galactic Conquest makes a return and is as enjoyable as ever. I wouldn’t necessarily say you should play this over II or Elite Squadron, but if you’ve completed them and want more then definitely check this one out.

8.0/10